Escape Limit Zone
is the 5th episode of Mobile Suit Gundam 00. Plot Marina watches a press conference announcing Taribia's return to the Union and a meeting between Stegmeyer and the Taribian prime minister. She concludes that America and Taribia must have planned things out beforehand to manipulate Celestial Being, but Shirin says that's wrong. She says that Celestial Being is so dedicated to its goal that it would go as far as attacking Taribia, even though that would turn public opinion against them. Marina then leaves on a trip to obtain solar energy for Azadistan. At the HRL's orbital elevator, Kinue drops off Saji for a field trip and tells him not to try anything strange with Louise. Nearby, Sergei tells Soma that they're ready to board the linear rail and head up to space. Setsuna does sit ups in his room and receives a computer message about a mobile suit performance test. On the uninhabited island, Allelujah tells Lockon about the newest mission from Sumeragi: spy on a new mobile suit performance test, and depending on the results, destroy it. Lockon warns Allelujah to be careful because most of the world hates them now after the Taribia incident. At the orbital elevator, the linear rail begins its climb toward the Pillar of Truth low orbit station. Sergei asks Soma why she volunteered for the military's enhancement project, and she tells him that she's a designer baby created for the project. He then recalls watching her in a physical and a scientist's report that her body is enhanced through the use of nanomachines. Sergei asked the scientist if the agency had any problem with doing such things, and the scientist answered that it's necessary to have people like Soma to adapt to space. The train stops at the Pillar of Truth station, and Saji and Louise meet with their tour instructor, Porz Assan. Porz takes them out for a spacewalk and quizzes Saji about orbital rings. Louise calls Saji over to the end of the station, and the two look down to see the entire Earth spread out below them. Porz cautions them that there's still some gravity, so they can be pulled down if they fall off the station. Louise then does just that, and Saji falls over the side trying to grab her, but Porz grabs them both by their safety lines. At the station's military outpost, Sergei and Soma examine the Tieren Taozi, a pink mobile suit customized to match Soma's abilities. Two days later, Allelujah rides the train and engages in small talk with a stewardess about seeing the Earth from space. Saji and Louise walk through one of the station's gravity blocks and pass by Wang and Hong Long. Sergei launches in a Tieren Space Type, followed by Soma in the Tieren Taozi. Soma begins the performance test, but she suddenly veers off course and says she feels something strange in her head. On the station, Allelujah feels pain in his head, and suddenly his personality changes completely. Mad with pain, Soma begins firing on the station. Sergei catches up to Soma and tells her to stop, but she continues to fire and damages the station, causing one of the gravity blocks to break off and drift away. Saji and Louise are trapped inside the block, which has now lost gravity. In his mind, Allelujah attempts to reach out to the "Hallelujah" personality that is now in control. He then recalls being adrift on a shuttle as a child, and Allelujah takes control again. Sergei calls the station for a report and is informed that 232 people are trapped in the gravity block. A rescue team will launch in 7 minutes, but the gravity block is decelerating and will be sucked in by the Earth's gravity in 14 minutes. Sergei orders a team to retrieve Soma and takes off to help with the rescue effort. Wang examines the data on the gravity block and concludes that the rescue party won't arrive in time. Sergei grabs onto the gravity block to try to accelerate it into a stable orbit, but he knows that his suit alone won't be enough, and that he'll eventually be pulled into the gravity well too. Allelujah arrives in the Gundam Kyrios, and while Wang tells him he's violating his orders, he ignores her and says she wouldn't understand what it feels like to drift in space. The Gundam Kyrios transforms to mobile suit mode and presses its thrusters to the max to help accelerate the gravity block. Sumeragi is surprised when she receives a message from Wang about what Allelujah is doing. At JNN headquarters, Kinue is shocked when she sees Saji and Louise's names on the list of people stranded in the gravity block. Allelujah calls out to the gravity block and tells everyone to quickly gather inside the center block. Inside, Louise says that since they may not survive, she has something important to tell Saji. Sergei calls Allelujah and tells him he should leave because he's already done enough, but Allelujah responds that Celestial Being doesn't accept failure. Just then, a beam blast comes up from Earth and hits the gravity block, causing one of the outer containers to break away. Down on Earth, Lockon uses a giant sniper rifle to target the gravity block. Setsuna flies around to clear away the clouds that are blocking Lockon's view, and he fires again to break off the other outer container. With the reduced weight, Allelujah is able to push the block into stable orbit. The rescue party arrives, and when Allelujah takes off, Sergei orders the Tieren pilots to focus on the rescue. On the Ptolemaios, Tieria criticizes Sumeragi for abandoning Veda's recommended mission and revealing to the world that the Gundam Dynames can snipe high altitude targets. Sumeragi says she wasn't helping Allelujah, but rather protecting the Gundam, and Tieria comments that people lacking skills shouldn't pilot Gundams. Saji asks Louise to tell him what she was going to say earlier, but she refuses.